The My Brothers Keeper event kicks into high gear in Oakland at the Scottish Rite Temple next to Lake Merritt.
President Obama and John Legend presented remarks today, talked with a panel featuring the mother of Travon Martin, and then Mr. Legend performed for the audience.
The meat of the three-day event is presented on YouTube Livestream below.
From the Obama Foundation:
Members of the MBK movement come together to celebrate the progress they’ve made for boys and young men of color and the challenges ahead. The session begins with an opening performance by John Legend followed by a conversation with mothers whose young sons were tragically killed and who are honoring their lives through advocacy and social action. In the closing session, President Obama and Steph Curry will participate in a town hall with young men and have a frank conversation about the challenges and opportunities they face.
Oakland Selected As Host City For My Brother’s Keeper
Oakland was chosen to be the host city of My Brother’s Keeper, last fall of 2018.
“On behalf of the City of Oakland and our tremendous coalition of dedicated partners taking action to ensure that all young people have every opportunity to achieve their dreams, we are honored to have been selected,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf. “I look forward to welcoming President Obama and young people from around the country to Oakland and making the first-ever MBK Rising! event a great success.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed also expressed her excitement regarding the announcement that the event would be coming to the region: “I’m proud to join Mayor Schaaf in welcoming MBK Rising! to the Bay Area for their first-ever national event. At a time when we are seeing rising division and discrimination across our country, I could not be more excited for our cities to have the opportunity to highlight our efforts to confront structural inequalities and lift up the next generation of African-American leaders.”
“I wish to thank Mayor Schaaf for her commitment to Oakland’s boys and men of color (BMOC) and leadership by accepting President Obama’s call to join the My Brother’s Keepers (MBK) partnership,” said David A. Harris, President and CEO of Urban Strategies Council. “Urban Strategies Council is honored to be recognized for convening and coordinating the Oakland-Alameda Alliance for BMOC, engaging over 30 community organizations and key public sector leaders working to advance education, employment and health outcomes for BMOC. We are eager to showcase how President Obama’s investment in the MBK initiative compliments our community’s long-standing work with BMOC, and positions us for greater community impact.”
Stay tuned.